About Newborn Seizures
Seizures occur as a result of sudden and abnormal electrical activities in the brain. One of the most notable signs that adults are experiencing seizures is when their bodies tense up and shake uncontrollably. However in newborns, the signs are more subtle. As a result, diagnosing seizures in newborns can be a difficult task. According to emedicine.com, seizures are most frequent during the first ten days of a baby's life.
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Significance
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According to Epilepsy.com, when babies have seizures, they don't make the typical movements associated with adult seizures because they are still developing. As a result, babies may jerk up towards their bellies with their knees bent or they may stiffen or jerk their arms or legs. Babies can also show signs of seizures in their facial expressions, heart rates and breathing.
Misconceptions
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Although babies show signs of seizures in the ways previously mentioned, babies who don't have seizures and are considered healthy tend to have sudden jerks and sudden changes in their facial expressions as well. This can make it tough for pediatricians to distinguish a seizure episode from normal baby behaviors, even when they are paying attention to these movements. Behaviors such as jitters, a baby's shivering movements, and the Moro reflex (sudden movements when startled), are commonly mistaken for seizures, according to the Epilepsy Foundation of America.
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Identification
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It can be easier for an expert to diagnose babies who have epilepsy or seizures if they show sudden changes in their behaviors and if the episodes occur repeatedly. These sudden changes may include repetitive sucking and extending of the tongue, continuous drooling and chewing, rapid eye movements, blinking and fluttering of the eyelids, and paddling and rowing movements of the arms.
Time Frame
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Seizures tend to occur more often in newborns than at any other stage of life. Babies born at less than 40 weeks gestation tend to experience seizures at a more rapid rate than full-term babies. In addition, about 22 percent of newborns tend to have more than one type of seizure, according to Epilepsy.com
Prevention/Solution
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Pediatric neurologists have identified a variety of common causes for newborn seizures. These causes include abnormal brain development while the baby is in the womb, meningitis, genetic disorders, brain infections and conditions the baby may experience when it is born, such as a lack of oxygen, infection and hemorrhages. While the majority of newborn seizures can be treated with anti-convulsant medications, newborns whose seizures are a result of brain infections, hemorrhages or other brain disorders may have to undergo surgical treatment.
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Resources
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